


Shadow Boy

by maaldas



Category: Hey! Say! JUMP, Johnny's Entertainment
Genre: Alternate Universe, Drama & Romance, Fantasy, Gore, M/M, Multi, Slavery, Supernatural Elements
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-30
Updated: 2020-03-13
Packaged: 2021-01-13 02:51:18
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 12,208
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21236936
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/maaldas/pseuds/maaldas
Summary: When Yamada couldn't cope with the failures in his very normal life, he attempted to end his miserable life. Yet, he couldn't even do that right and the attempt was met with another failure. Surviving his near death experience, things get interesting for Yamada where he met very interesting people with weird intentions and a mysterious entity called Daiki.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> All mistakes either in grammar or typo are mine. As always all characters are purely my imagination. Though how much I wish they are, Hey!Say!JUMP members belong to themselves; not mine. I'm just borrowing their image here to play in my sandbox. Please don't sue me!

"Ryosuke Yamada, nineteen years old, Waseda University student. Presumably been drowned for more than fifteen minutes. There's water in the lungs. We have a case of wet drowning here people. Let's get working!"

"Fifteen minutes is too long," murmured one of the emergency doctors. "Lifting in one, two, three..."

After the patient was moved onto the hospital bed, the rescue team backed out of the emergency room leaving the patient to the capable hands of the doctors.

Outside of the emergency room, a young man with bleached hair wearing wet jeans and a rock band t-shirt was walking aimlessly along the empty corridor.

"What the hell am I doing here?! Is this a hospital?" The young man approached the nurse table with the intention of asking the nurse on duty of his whereabouts. "Excuse me, nurse. Can you tell me what hospital is this? Hello!"

"You won't get an answer that way," said someone from behind him.

The young man quickly turned around to find another man around his age wearing blue hospital gown sat on the bench near the wall.

"Hi, they are all busy tonight. You can't interrupt them. Let them do their job," said the young man on the bench. "Come sit with me," he added, patting the space next to him.

The young man wearing wet jeans thought it didn't hurt to have a chat with someone since he didn't have anything else to do anyway. Not to mention that he was still unsure of the reason why he was in this hospital. So, he went to approach him.

"Hi! Are you a patient here?" asked the young man wearing wet jeans as he took a seat on the bench next to the other young man.

The young man wearing hospital blue gown smiled. "You can say that."

"Oh." The young man wearing wet jeans nodded. He wanted to ask more but didn't want to intrude into other people's business.

"It's nothing serious, don't worry. I'll probably get discharged tomorrow," said the young man wearing hospital blue gown as if reading his mind.

"Really? Well, I am glad for you," said the young man wearing wet jeans sincerely.

"Thank you," said the blue gowned young man with a wide smile.

"I'm Yamada Ryosuke by the way," blurted the young man wearing wet jeans. He wasn't sure why he suddenly introduced himself to a complete stranger. Perhaps, it's the stranger's gentle voice and soothing smile that had somehow managed to put Ryosuke's confused mind a little bit at ease.

The young man wearing hospital blue gown seemed happy knowing Ryosuke's name because his smile stretched even wider. "Nice to meet you, Yamada Ryosuke. I'm Daiki," said the young man wearing hospital blue gown with a nod.

###

"Poor boy! It was his birthday, you know," said nurse Yokomine to her colleague nurse Saejima who was checking the drowning patient's vital and adjusting his blanket. "They said it was a suicide attempt."

Nurse Saejima looked surprised. "Eh? Really?"

Nurse Yokomine nodded. "A whole bottle of sleeping pills inside his stomach and they found the empty bottle on the top most diving board."

"My god! That's so sad. He's such a handsome young man. Why would he do something stupid like that?" Nurse Saejima looked at the patient's face sternly. "Yamada-kun, whatever happens in your life right now it's not worth it if you don't live it. I pray that everything will be okay when you wake up."

"Will he ever wake up?" asked nurse Yokomine. "He's been comatose for three days. Fujikawa sensei said the chance of brain damage will increase the longer he stays under."

###

Ryosuke turned around at the end of the corridor and peeked into each hospital rooms through the door window looking for his new friend Daiki. "Where is he?" muttered Ryosuke under his breath. Then, he went down the stairs to look for him on the ground floor. He finally found him in front of the emergency corridor.

"What are you doing?" whispered Ryosuke at his friend who just smiled at him putting his index and middle finger on his lips.

"Shhh... come here."

Daiki pulled his wrist and dragged him to the corner of the operating room where doctors and nurses were busy saving someone's life.

"Daiki, are we allowed in here?" whispered Ryosuke again as he looked around the room he suddenly found them in. "And how did we get here?"

"They won't be able to save her," muttered Daiki quietly as he watched the operating procedure that was going on in front of them with rapt attention.

"Who is she? What are you talking about?" asked Ryosuke confused. Yet, he couldn't help but feel that this scene was familiar somehow.

"They're coming!" Daiki suddenly exclaimed, pushing Ryosuke behind him to shield him from the sudden light that was slowly unfolding in the middle of the room.

A woman with bloodied yellow dress and tears in her eyes materialized in front of Daiki. She shone brightly while the room around her went darker and Ryosuke was sure he saw moving shadows in that darkness.

"Do you understand now the consequence of your action?" Daiki asked the woman. The harshness and judgmental tone in Daiki's voice startled Ryosuke because it was so different to the usual gentle voice he used when talking with him.

"I can't handle it anymore! I don't have a choice!" cried the woman as tears ran down her cheeks. "Please help me!"

"You had choices. Life is all about choices," Daiki coldly said which made the woman's cry even harder.

Then she caught a glimpse of Ryosuke behind Daiki. As their eyes met, Ryosuke felt a flow of sadness suddenly filled him as if he could feel the woman's feeling. "Please, help me..." Knowing no help coming from Daiki the woman in turn implored Ryosuke to help her. Even though, Ryosuke himself didn't know what he should do to help her he felt like he had to. The pain and sorrow that he felt in his heart suddenly amplified making him gasp.

"DO NOT TALK TO HIM!"

Daiki's shout somehow managed to break the connection the woman had with him. Ryosuke clutched his pounding head and groaned in pain from the overwhelming pain created by the sudden detachment.

Then he felt a cold hand touched his forehead and the pain lessened rapidly as Daiki's voice penetrated his foggy brain "Listen to me, Ryosuke! Look at me!"

Ryosuke forced his eyes open and promptly gasped as the scene behind Daiki almost made him close them again. The moving shadows that he saw earlier were actually monsters. They had jumped out of the darkness to feast on the woman's flesh. They tear her apart yet instead of blood, bright lights leaked through the wounds. Ryosuke was sure her scream would forever haunt him.

"LOOK AT ME!" shouted Daiki. Ryosuke didn't want to see her anymore so he forced his eyes to meet Daiki's. "She's committed suicide and that's what happens to human soul who had an unnatural death. How long have you been here, Ryosuke?"

"What? What're you talking about? We've just met last night, right?"

"Think! What is the last thing you remember?"

"I was in my classroom at the University then ... the student councilor called me and ..." Ryosuke thought really hard to remember what else happened that day but the rest of his memories seemed to blur together. "I don't know. I don't remember."

"The University doctor gave you sleeping pills and somehow you felt the need to drink all of them in one go then took a dive into the University swimming pool."

"What! That can't be true! I'm not suicidal!" protested Ryosuke. Yet, despite his vehement denial of anything that Daiki had told him, deep down inside his heart he knew that it was all true. Since his parent's death, things went downhill fast. He got dumped at the orphanage. His only sister hated him. His girlfriend cheated on him. His grade was failing which contributed to the termination of his scholarship. Above all that, the guilt that he felt for causing his parent's death was dragging him down until he couldn't take it anymore.

"You refuse to remember all of that because you refuse to return to your miserable life but listen to me carefully, Ryosuke. If you stay here, sooner or later those monsters will come to get you. You don't want that happens to you, don't you?" Daiki nodded his head at the brutal scene behind him where Ryosuke could see the monsters who were still feasting on the woman's soul. "You've been comatose for six days. I can't shield you from them any longer. You have to wake up!"

Tears welled up in Ryosuke's eyes. "But, it was so hard to hold on to life."

Daiki put his hand on both Ryosuke's shoulder, a sad smile on his face. "I know. But you can't give up! There are those who need you."

Ryosuke frowned. "But I don't have anyone else."

"There are those who need you," Daiki repeated as if he didn't hear what Ryosuke just said. "Things will get better, I promise!"

"Then would you come with me, Daiki?" asked Ryosuke suddenly. "You're a patient too, right? First time we met you said you'll get discharged soon but you're still here. That means your body also still here."

Instead of answering him Daiki put his right hand on Ryosuke's chest with an intense concentration look on his face.

"I'll look for you!" Ryosuke vowed but Daiki just looked at him and smirked.

"Go now!" Daiki said. His voice was soft but the order was clear in his tone. He felt Daiki pushed him backwards until his soul slowly disintegrated.

Void and darkness was all Ryosuke knew until not a moment later he woke up on a hospital bed with big tube down his throat. Alarm blared around him deafening his sensitive ears. He gargled around the tube for a few seconds until a nurse came to assist him.

"Call Fujikawa sensei! Hurry!" ordered nurse Yokomine. "Relax, Yamada-kun. Please don't fight the tube. It helps your lungs to breath. Once Fujikawa sensei arrived, he'll help you settle. Just relax and breathe along with the tube."

Yet, nurse Yokomine's soft voice was not enough to calm his racing mind. He needed to get up now and look for Daiki. His friend said that he was soon to be discharged from this hospital. What if Ryosuke was too late? What if Daiki has already left the hospital? How long had he spent in the void before he finally managed to wake up? What if those monsters eat Daiki too? He was all alone in that world.

###

Once he was sure Ryosuke's soul was on his way to the living world, Daiki closed his eyes and turned around to face the monsters. When he opened them, his whole eyes, not only his irises but pupils and scleroses all turned an orange color. When he smiled, fangs elongated and his previously neat teeth became jagged and serrated.

"Hello boys!" Daiki called out the monsters, spreading his arms wide. "Come and get me!"

to be continue ... 


	2. The Dagger

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It tells about Ryosuke's childhood with Dai-chan or is it really Dai-chan? And what's this dagger he found in the woods?

“Remember, Ryo-chan! Be home before dark and don’t go into the woods!”

“Yes, mom!” shouted Ryosuke as he ran to the playground with his new friends. His mother bit her lip in worry as she watched her son play.

“He’ll be alright. Nothing’s gonna happen. You worry too much,” said Ryosuke’s grandmother. “Come on, let’s go home! We still need to cook that fish before your husband and daughter comes home,”

Reiko followed her mother reluctantly. Her husband’s work had forced them to relocate from Tokyo to Osaka and her mother was kindly enough to offer them a place to stay before they found a permanent house in the city, closer to her husband’s new office. Surprisingly, little Ryosuke took the news better than his older sister. The Yamada’s eldest daughter was devastated when she had learnt that she had to leave her friends and had thrown a temper tantrum. It was a very trial week for the Yamada family.

###

“Hey, let’s play hide and seek in the woods!” suggested one of the boys and was agreed by the other three boys.

“But my mom forbid me to go into the woods,” said Ryosuke reluctantly.

“Come on! Don’t be a coward!” teased his friend.

“Ryo-chan is a coward… Ryo-chan is a coward…” The other kids started chanting.

“Come on, we’ve been playing in the woods countless times and nothing happened. You’re just being a baby!” taunted the other kid.

Ryosuke who had never backed out of a challenge before felt insulted to be called a coward. “I’m not a coward!”

“Good! Then, let’s go!”

“Tag! You’re it!” one of the kids slapped Ryosuke’s back before running away laughing followed by the other three kids.

Ryosuke chased them all screaming, “Hey! That’s not fair! I’ll get you for this!” Forgetting his mother’s warning, he happily chased his new friends into the woods.

###

“Ei-chan! Akio-chan! Take-chan! Nao-chan! Where are you guys?!” shouted Ryosuke in panic. 

They had been playing in the woods for hours already. As the sky got darker and the foliage around them got thicker, Ryosuke was worried. He had never been into this wood and wouldn’t be able to find his own way home but his friends convinced him that it would be alright and that they had played in the woods many times.

Eiji was the demon in the last game and he was supposed to look for the four of them but Ryosuke had waited for more than half an hour in his hiding spot without knowing that his friends had gone home without him. He had found himself a perfect hiding spot on top of one of the low branch of a huge tree. It was too good of a hiding spot that none of his friends could find him and had thought that he’d had gone home ahead of them.

Ryosuke eyed the branches around him trying to find a way to scale down the big tree when his eyes caught something odd. A kind of old knife was stabbed into the tree trunk few centimeters above his head. Naturally a curious boy, Ryosuke climbed onto the branch above him to get a closer look at the knife. Turned out, it was not a knife but a kind of dagger that was stabbed halfway into the tree trunk. Rusted iron chains was wrapped around the heel then looped around the tree as if to keep it stay. The handle was made of rough wood that was textured like a tree bark and one side of its guard was elongated like a twig.

“Wow, what is this doing here?” Ryosuke whispered to himself. “It looks ancient.”

The wind moved when his fingers touched the brash pommel and blew harder the longer he caressed its bark like handle. He did not even realize the way the wind was buffeting around him, playing with his hair, lifting fallen leaves in the air, circling around the tree. It was such an odd feeling. It was as if he saw things from an outsider perspective when his hand suddenly moved to wrap around the handle and pulled the dagger out. The chain broke the moment Ryosuke pulled and the dagger came off easily. The wind suddenly stopped and the tree trembled. Ryosuke had to let go of the dagger to hold onto the tree trunk before it split in two. The tree cracked vertically from its very top to the very bottom and split open the ground as well. Ryosuke screamed as he fell down into the hole.

###

Everything hurt when Ryosuke woke up few moments later. He found himself at the bottom of a chasm with the dagger next to him. The edge of the chasm was too high that Ryosuke felt like crying. He remembered his mother’s words and regretted for not listening to her warning. The pant of his left leg was torn and his knee was bleeding but he had to at least try to get out of there. Grabbing the dagger determinedly, he limped to the slope wall. Yet, even using the dagger to climb up the wet slope was proven to be difficult and he had had to give up after slipping down for the third time. He had lost both his shoes during the attempted climb and both legs of his pants were shredded to bits. Sharp stones cut his legs making them bleed.

“Mom, I’m sorry,” Ryosuke cried. “I miss you… and I’m sorry…” He wrapped his arms around his knees and his whole body shook as he wept thinking that no one would want to come to save him because he had disobeyed his mother.

Ryosuke jolted in surprise when he heard a sound of something hitting the ground hard behind him. He quickly wiped his tears and slowly turned around. The sun had gone down and he could barely see anything but he knew there was someone behind him. 

“Ow! That hurts! Damn tree!” someone shouted. Ryosuke gasped aloud. The voice sounded like a boy but older.

Ryosuke took a deep breath. “Who … who … are you?” he asked haltingly.

“Eh? Is someone there?” asked the other boy. “Oh, thank god!” The boy suddenly came near and Ryosuke shuffled backwards warily. “Please, don’t be afraid. I was playing in the woods when I heard a loud boom. So, I came to investigate. Didn’t see this big hole in the dark, so I fell.” The boy shrugged.

“But now we are both trapped in here,” cried Ryosuke as tears once again ran down his cheeks in rivulets.

“Um… I can get us out of here,” said the boy.

“I tried to climb before but …. but the ground is too wet…. I kept … kept slipping down,” Ryosuke told him between sobs. 

“What’s your name?”

“Ryo… Ryosuke…”

“How old are you, Ryosuke?”

“Seven.”

“Well, my name’s Daiki and I’m fifteen. I’m older than you, so I think I can climb better than you.”

Ryosuke thought for a moment. Since Daiki was older, surely he could climb better than him. He decided to give it a go and gave Daiki his dagger. “Here, I used this to climb.”

“Thank you, Ryosuke.” Daiki took the dagger from him then turned around. “Come on! Climb on my back! I’ll carry you.”

Ryosuke looked at his bloodied feet with regret. He was becoming a burden now. What if he was too heavy? What if the older boy slipped down the wet slope like he did before because he was carrying him? Perhaps, if Daiki just left him there and climbed up to get help the chance for them to get rescued was higher. But the thought of staying in the hole alone was terrifying. Making up his mind, Ryosuke wiped his tears and shuffled himself towards Daiki. He wrapped his arms around the older boy’s shoulder and his legs around his waist.

“Don’t worry, Ryosuke. I won’t let you go. Hold tight, okay?”

Ryosuke nodded and pressed his forehead onto Daiki’s nape, holding onto him tightly. He felt Daiki started to climb and prayed that they would get to the top safely. He couldn’t see anything in the dark and Daiki moved so fast that Ryosuke felt as if it was just a blur. One moment they were at the bottom of a huge chasm and the next they were already on top. They continued walking for half an hour through the woods or rather Daiki continued walking while Ryusuke was just clinging onto his warm back. Daiki seemed to know the woods very well because even in the almost pitch black, his steps was steady and confident. Ryosuke was grateful when Daiki kept the conversation up by asking Ryosuke about his parents, his home, his school and school mate. It made him forget the fact that they were walking alone in the dark.

Soon, they arrived at Ryosuke’s grandmother’s backyard. Daiki put him down onto the wooden terrace and told him to go in.

“Come Daiki,” Ryosuke said inviting the older boy to go in with him.

Daiki just smiled. Under the bright light of the terrace, he could see Daiki’s wide grin clearly. He was rather cute. “I need to go home too. Just go inside. Your family is worried.”

“But…”

“Are you afraid that they’ll scold you?” Daiki guessed correctly.

“My mom told me not to go into the woods,” Ryosuke mumbled. 

Daiki chuckled. “They’ll be more relieved to find you safe. I promise!” said Daiki with a smile. “Go on.” He made a shooing motion with his hand.

“I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“I don’t think you’ll be allowed to go out and play tomorrow.”

“The day after tomorrow then … or … or the day after after tomorrow and after tomorrow…”

Daiki laughed out loud. “Just go inside, Ryosuke. I’ll see you when you are well, okay?” 

“Em!” Ryosuke nodded before saying his goodbye. “Mata ne, Daiki!” Ryosuke said with a smile but he couldn’t hear Daiki’s reply because the backdoor was suddenly opened and his mother’s scream filled his ears.

The whole family was overjoyed. His mother was crying while his grandmother was reciting prayer repeatedly. His father quickly carried him inside while his older sister stayed with him for the rest of the night. When Ryosuke looked back to the backyard, Daiki was no more. The older boy was probably already on his way home and he forgot to say thank you to him. Hopefully, he’ll see him again tomorrow.

###

Ryosuke decided that he hated the doctor. He hated it when the doctor who came the next day declared that he had to spend a whole week in his room until his legs all healed up. He missed playing with his friends and moreover he wanted to see Daiki again to say thank you. He didn’t know where Daiki lived but the older boy said he was from the village, so he would definitely find him if he looked; the village was not that big. Now, how could he look for Daiki when he was confined in his room for a week? Stupid doctor for messing up his plan.

It had only been two days but Ryosuke was bored out of his mind already. He had read and re-read the newest edition of his One Piece comic three times. He wanted to play soccer with his friends. He wanted to … 

“Psst… Ryosuke!”

Someone called his name and Ryosuke looked around the room to find Daiki perched on his window sill. Grinning wide, he threw his comic book away and jumped off of his bed only to curl on the floor in pain.

“Itai!” Ryosuke whimpered holding his bandaged legs.

Daiki quickly jumped off the window sill to help him up. He lifted the smaller boy in his arms and deposited him on top of his bed. “Careful, you baka!” He scolded but Ryosuke just grinned in joy for finally seeing his friend.

“How can you enter my room on the second floor?” asked Ryosuke curiously.

“I climbed. I’m a good climber remember?” Daiki said before pulling something from under his shirt. “I come to return this to you.” It was the dagger he had found in the woods before the terrible explosion happened; an unfortunate incident that his parents knew nothing about. “You should take care of it. It’s a high quality dagger.”

“Really?” Ryosuke held the dagger in both hands, scrutinizing the rust and crack in the blade, silently questioning the way his friend’s mind works. “It looks dull, though.”

“Trust me, my uncle is a blacksmith, so I know about it. The material is expensive. You can’t find it in Japan.”

“Then, it’ll be my treasure!” Ryosuke vowed and was gratified by Daiki’s happy grin, which in turn made his heart felt lighter. Then, he saw the older boy bent down to fetch the comic that he had thrown on the floor earlier.

“What’s this?” Daiki asked.

“It’s my comic book called One Piece. It’s about a boy who wants to be a pirate,” Ryosuke explained.

“Really? Tell me about it, please.” 

Ryosuke happily delved into the plight and fight of Luffy the straw hat pirate. He was so happy that Daiki seemed to be interested into his hobby. He listened to Ryosuke’s stories intently, laughed at the funny part and upset at the bad part. Ryosuke even had to dig up his comic collections to show him all of the illustrations because Daiki said he’d had never read the comic before. Soon, both boys were chatting happily on top of Ryosuke’s bed. Daiki told him stories about the woods and the old folklore. When Ryosuke asked him why he knew so much about ancient stories he just said that his grandparents were historian and told him lots of things pertaining history and old folklore.

Daiki always visited him in the afternoon for the rest of the week and always came through the window. They would chat and play games in Ryosuke’s room and left before dinner time. When Ryosuke asked him why he never used the front door to visit him, the older boy just shrugged. He said since Ryosuke was supposed to be resting he’d reckon his parents would be displeased knowing their son spent his day playing around. Always happy to have a friend to play with, he accepted his friend’s reason without question. 

###

“You know, they said there’s a spirit in this woods,” said Daiki one day when both of them were climbing a big tree in the woods.

Ryosuke hauled himself up unto a branch above him and sit on it, wrapping his right arm around the trunk while Daiki sat on a branch higher, leaning his back casually on the tree trunk. Ryosuke had to admire the older boy’s agility when it came to climbing trees. Daiki seemed to do it effortlessly. Sometimes, he even climbed a tree while carrying Ryosuke on his back; a feat that Ryosuke always thought as amazing.

“Really? What kind of spirit?” asked Ryosuke absentmindedly as he had already got used to Daiki’s rambling. Some of his rambling were sometimes true because he had had them checked by asking his parents and grandmother but Ryosuke thought some of them were complete nonsense.

“Some people says it’s a tree spirit, some says it’s a wood spirit, some says it’s a spirit of the land,” said Daiki.

“So, which do you think is true?” asked Ryosuke, dangling his legs over the branch.

“Dunno,” the older boy shrugged. “I never met them, though.” Daiki was quiet for a moment before asking, “Are you scared, Ryo-chan?”

Ryosuke shook his head. “No. Tree spirit sounds nice. They probably look like a tree, huh?” He chuckled before murmuring quietly. “I’ve seen worse.” But Daiki seemed to hear him just as well.

“What did you see Ryo-chan?”

Ryosuke looked down on his lap contemplating if he should tell Daiki about his secret. His parents never believed him whenever he told them about those creatures and his sister thought him weird. Would Daiki thought him crazy if he told him about them, he thought. But then again Daiki knew a lot about ancient folklores, so he would probably at least listen to him, right?

“They are ugly monsters,” Ryosuke whispered.

“I see. Do you see them often?” asked Daiki.

“Just when it’s dark and not that often. They waited in my room sometimes. When that happened, I slept in my parents’ room or in the hallway but they were always gone in the morning so I went back inside before my parents woke up.” 

“Are you still seeing them now?”

“Nope! Ever since my family moved here, I don’t see anything. I’m happy,” Ryosuke said smiling from ear to ear.

“That’s good!” exclaimed Daiki. Then, he hoped down from his branch to stand next to Ryosuke. “Hey, I can jump to that tree over there,” Daiki told him pointing at a tree few meters away.

“Shut up, Dai-chan! You’ll fall before you reach it,” said Ryosuke laughing at his friend’s antics.

“I swear I can do it!” Daiki insisted then he crouched down and told Ryosuke to hop onto his back. “Come on, hop on my back! We’ll jump to that tree.”

“If we fall and break our legs I’ll tell my parents it’s your fault,” threatened Ryosuke while climbing onto Daiki’s back oddly feeling happy despite the possibility of injury. 

Daiki stood on the branch and took a few deep breaths. “Close your eyes if you’re scared,” he warned him. Ryosuke quickly closed his eyes and held his breath as well while his heart was beating rapidly. “Here we go!”

Daiki made a dash off of the tree branch and just like what had happened the night they met, Ryosuke felt as if he was flying; winds played with his hair and the scents of trees filled his nose. He slowly opened his eyes and giggled merrily when he witnessed how easily his friend jumped from branch to branch. Daiki’s bare feet stepped lightly onto the tree branch, using its elasticity to help propel him onto the next tree branch. He sometimes even hung onto it and swung them towards the next tree.

“Amazing, Dai-chan! You’re like a ninja!” shouted Ryosuke joyfully. “Wooohoooooo!!!”

They were playing in the woods until the sky turned darker and Ryosuke had to go home. Daiki walked them through the woods leisurely with Ryosuke still clinging on his back like a monkey.

“Ryo-chan, you’ve been allowed to play and go to school for a week but why didn’t you play with your friends at school?” asked Daiki as they walked back to Ryosuke’s grandmother’s house.

“They all hate me because they got scolded for leaving me in the woods alone,” answered Ryosuke.

“Why? It’s their fault for leaving you. They know you’ve never been in the woods before.”

“I don’t know but I don’t mind. I like playing with you, Dai-chan. You’re much more fun!” exclaimed Ryosuke, laughing heartily. He had so much fun playing with Daiki because the older boy always tried to make everything funnier. He even helped Ryosuke with his history and Japanese homework. He was bad at math, though. 

“Why thank you Ryo-chan. I like playing with you too,” Daiki said. He stopped at the threshold of Ryosuke’s grandmother’s backyard. “We’re here. Get down, you monkey!” he told him and Ryosuke quickly jumped off his back, giggling merrily.

“Bye, Dai-chan! I’ll see you tomorrow!” Ryosuke waved at him before running inside the house and promptly got scolded by his mother.

“Where have you been, Ryo-chan?” asked his mother from the kitchen. 

“Playing with Dai-chan,” answered Ryosuke.

“Dai-chan?”

“His name’s Daiki but I call him Dai-chan because we’re best friend. He accompanied me home too. He’s nice!”

His mother looked outside the window then frowned at him. “There isn’t anyone outside.”

“Eh?” Ryosuke ran to the window to look outside and his mother was right, there was no one there. Daiki was probably already on his way home. “He’s probably on his way home by now,” said Ryosuke shrugging nonchalantly. He then went to the fridge to get a juice and drank it in the living room. His grandmother was there too drinking warm tea. 

“How old is Dai-chan, Ryo-chan?” asked his grandmother.

“He’s fifteen. His uncle is a blacksmith and he knows lots of histories. He’s really smart,” said Ryosuke proudly.

His mother brought a tray of cookies from the kitchen and put it on the dining table. Ryosuke swiftly grabbed a few and munch on them happily. He was hungry. “Where does he live?” asked his mother.

“In the village,” answered Ryosuke easily. He never really interested to know where Daiki lived because they always played in the woods.

“He never took you to his house?”

“No. He always waits for me at the playground.”

His mother looked at his grandmother worriedly. “Why didn’t you play with your school mate?”

“They hate me.”

“Of course they don’t hate you, Ryo-chan. They played with you before, right?”

“They hate me now because they got scolded for leaving me alone in the woods but Dai-chan said it’s because they feel guilty and want to say sorry to me but afraid to do it,” Ryosuke explained. It sounded so cool when Dai-chan explained it to him earlier and made him feel better with himself. He didn’t care if the other boys in his school didn’t want to play with him because he didn’t want them to play with Dai-chan too. Dai-chan was way too cool to share.

“I’m going to wash up,” Ryosuke announced then left the living room to go to the bathroom.

“Don’t forget to do your homework!” reminded his mother before turning towards her mother. “Do you think it’s Fuji Daisuke?” she whispered.

“Ermm… Daisuke-kun is turning thirteen this year. It can’t be him,” said her mother. “Besides, Tatsuo-san the blacksmith only has a niece and I don’t know anyone named Daiki either.”

Ryosuke’s mother sighed. The oddity of this situation was foreboding. Something was not quite right about this Daiki. She would definitely talk about this matter with her husband. 

to be continue...


	3. Chapter 3 - The Shadow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ryosuke was forced to be separated with Dai-chan, his first best friend. It was painful but need to be done for the sake of everybody else.

Ryosuke’s mother came to pick him up from school a couple of weeks later, much to Ryosuke’s surprise.

“What is it mom? Is something happen?” he asked in concern.

“Can’t I pick up my own son from school?” she replied instead. “What? You don’t miss me anymore?” her mother teased.

“Of course I miss you mom,” Ryosuke said quickly hugging his mother.

“Let’s buy some strawberry ice cream on the way home! What do you think?”

“Yay!” Ryosuke jumped for joy and followed his mother to the ice cream store. He knew that Daiki would have been waiting for him at the playground but he decided to just enjoy an outing with his mother for that afternoon. He could always play with him tomorrow. He was sure Daiki would understand.

“So, what happens at school today?” asked his mother as they were walking home from the ice cream store.

“Sensei gave us lots and lots of homework and she also scolded Ei-chan and Toru-chan for fighting inside the classroom,” Ryosuke reported dutifully.

“Oh, no! You didn’t join the fight, did you?”

“Of course not!”

“That’s good! Fighting is not good Ryo-chan. Here, let me take your bag. You go wash up and eat, alright? Daddy’s inside,” said his mother taking his bag from him.

Ryosuke was surprised. “Dad’s not working?”

“Daddy has a guest today,” answered his mother with a smile. “Go on!”

When he went to the bathroom to wash up, he heard his father’s voice from the living room talking with someone who was probably the guest that his mother talked about. Then, he went to the kitchen to take a bottle of strawberry juice from the fridge. He was just about to go up to his room when his father called him. He walked timidly towards his father and sat next to him putting the juice bottle on the dining table. There was a Priest sat across from them.

“Sensei, this is my son, Ryosuke,” said his father wrapping an arm around his shoulder.

“Ah, I see. How are you, Ryosuke-kun?” greeted the Priest with a smile. He was a middle aged man with a kind smile, perhaps a little bit older than his father. “I’ve heard that you’ve made a few friends already. Will you tell me about this boy named Daiki?”

Ryosuke frowned. Why would the Priest asked him about Daiki? He looked at his father questioningly.

“It’s okay, Ryosuke, tell sensei about your new friend. Sensei probably knows him,” his father assured him.

Ryosuke looked down at his lap. “He’s my friend. He saved me when I was lost in the woods,” mumbled Ryosuke, fingers playing with the hems of his jumper nervously. 

“Is that so? That’s nice of him. Where does he live?” asked Sensei.

“Why do all of you want to know about Dai-chan’s house? Mom and Grandma also asked me about that the other day,” Ryosuke grumbled and got chided right away. 

“Don’t be rude to Sensei!” scolded his father rather harshly before apologizing towards the Priest. “I’m sorry, Sensei.”

“It’s alright. Ryosuke-kun is a good kid,” said the Priest.

“Excuse me, Sensei. Uhmm… I found this in Ryosuke’s room. Will you take a look at it?” Ryosuke’s mother suddenly appeared holding a bundle of clothes in her hands. She passed it on to the Priest.

Recognizing the pillow case that he used to hide his dagger, Ryosuke shouted, “That’s mine!” He quickly stood up and ran towards his mother intending to snatch the dagger from her but his father held him back. “No! It’s my dagger!”

The Priest unwrapped the pillow case on the table and lifted the rusty dagger with both hands, carefully inspecting its wooden handle. “Hmm… interesting,” he said. “I’ve never seen a relic like this. It’s very old. Where did you find this Ryosuke-kun?”

“I’m not going to tell you!” shouted Ryosuke. He was angry that his mother took his dagger without his permission.

“Ryosuke!” snapped his father.

“I will take this to temple. It needs to be purified.”

“No! You can’t take it! It’s mine! Dad, let me go! He’s going to take my dagger!” screamed Ryosuke in panic as he tried to escape from his father hold.

“Ryosuke, stop it! You’ve been acting strange, lately. Your friends saw you talking alone and went into the woods by yourself and there’s no one named Daiki in this village,” explained his father but Ryosuke didn’t want to hear any of that. He kicked and screamed, wanting to be let go.

“They’re not my friends! They hate me! Only Dai-chan is my friend!”

“Please take it away, Sensei!” begged his mother tearfully. “Ryo-chan please calm down!”

“Then, please excuse me, Yamada-san.”

The Priest bowed at them and hurriedly wrapped the pillow case around the dagger while Ryosuke continued to scream and trashing in his father’s arm. His father lifted the distressed boy up in an attempt to calm him down when suddenly, the ground shook and all four of them dropped down on the floor in anticipation of the coming earthquake. Yet, the earthquake did not come as the shaking stopped only five seconds after it started.

“It’s here,” whispered the Priest, who was already pushing himself up. He grabbed the dagger from the table and went towards the back door that led to the backyard.

Yamada-san exchanged a look with his wife, both were wondering whom the Priest was referring to but neither of them had any clue. Reiko’s mother came hurriedly from the back room, checking on them.

“Reiko, is everyone alright?”

“Yes, mother. We’re alright but …”

Reiko did not have a chance to finish her sentence when Ryosuke, sensing his parents’ inattentiveness, quickly slipped out of his father’s arms and ran to follow the Priest.

“Ryosuke, wait!” Yamada-san hurriedly ran after his son followed closely by his wife and his mother-in-law. 

###

When Yamada-san reached the porch, Ryosuke was already pestering the Priest, trying to take the dagger from him, so he hurriedly grabbed his son and held him tight while his wife continued to calm him down.

“Let me go! I want my dagger!” screamed Ryosuke.

“Ryo-chan, please calm down,” Reiko begged her son, cupping his cheeks lovingly but Ryosuke did not seem to listen to her.

“Where are you going with my dagger, Priest?”

Yamada-san looked up when he heard a stranger’s voice. There was a young man around fifteen years old stood barefooted in the middle of the backyard about ten meters away from them. He stared hard at the Priest. 

“Dai-chan!” Ryosuke shouted. “Dai-chan, he wanna take my dagger away,” Ryosuke told him but the older boy just smiled fondly at him.

“No, he won’t,” said the boy who Ryosuke called Daiki. “Will you, Sensei?”

“What are you, Demon?” asked the Priest.

The boy glared at him. “I’m no Demon,” he growled.

“Step back, Yamada-san. This boy is not human,” said the Priest.

Reiko’s mother who was watching the scene from the porch gasped loudly hearing the Priest’s warning. “Bring Ryosuke inside, hurry! Kami-sama, please help us.”

Yamada-san hurriedly pulled a struggling Ryosuke backwards towards the house but he seven years old boy was surprisingly strong when he wanted to. He dug his feet into the ground 

The Priest took the dagger out of its cover and recited a prayer but the barefooted boy just smirked at him.

“You think you can get rid of me that easily? Even a Shaman who was ten times stronger than you couldn’t bind me forever,” said Daiki.

“Go away and stop bothering this family!” shouted the Priest who then recited the prayer louder. At first, it did not seem to bother him but slowly his face started to change. Daiki snarled at the Priest as his fangs elongated and his eyes slowly turned orange. “Yamada-san, I will show you this creature’s true form!” shouted the Priest before reciting another prayer that somehow managed to make the-not-so-human-boy uncomfortable.

The entity who called himself Daiki gritted his teeth “How dare you!” he grunted angrily as he dropped down on his knees to crouch on the ground, screaming.

“Stoooop! Please, don’t hurt Dai-chan! Noooooo!” Ryosuke trashed around in his father’s arms wanting to be let go but his father’s hold was too strong for a seven years old boy.

“Ryo-chan, please close your eyes! Don’t look at me!” Daiki said as he glanced at Ryosuke with a pair beseeching orange eyes. Both of his hands were fisting the ground and his whole body was stiff and muscles tensed up as if he was holding something back. 

“Let him look, Yamada-san. Let Ryosuke-kun knows who his friend really is,” the Priest told Ryosuke’s father.

Yamada-san nodded at the Priest and in the split second of his distraction, his son bit his arm and kicked his shin before running towards the spitting and growling entity.

“Ryosuke!”

Both Ryosuke’s parents were hysterics. His mother’s body went limp and was half conscious seeing her child ran towards danger, while his father was torn between helping his wife and running after his son. 

Yet, Daiki, seeing the little boy ran towards him screamed in panic. “Ryo-chan, no! Don’t come near me!”

###

It was as if everything moved in slow motion. The Priest could only watch in horror as the only son of Yamada’s family ran towards the evil entity despite his father’s warning. In that moment, he made a decision to end the evil right then and there. Arming himself with the entity’s own dagger, he recited an ancient spells that was passed down through generations of Kannushi in his family.

A loud scream from Reiko-san almost disrupted his concentration. He looked up just in time to see the entity loosened up its tight hold on its true form right in front of the young boy. Orange fur gradually spread on its skin and its bulk expanded twice the size of its human form. In a blink of an eye, a huge orange and black striped tiger stood where the entity named Daiki had been. The young boy Ryosuke, who stood only few paces in front of the creature stunned in surprise as the tiger roared.

The Priest made a dash towards the creature hoping against hope that he would be able to save Yamada-san’s youngest boy. “Get down, Ryosuke-kun!!”

Suddenly, the tiger leaped towards the boy; jaws opened wide and claws unsheathed. The Priest sped up his run, lifting the dagger high above his head. The tiger pushed the boy down on his back and roared at him. Taking advantage of the distracted creature, the Priest made a leap to stab the tiger with the dagger right at the juncture of its left shoulder.

Pain seized his nerves ending as big sharp teeth clamped on his right shoulder. The Priest screamed at the top of his lungs as the tiger, with the dagger still stuck on its shoulder, tore his flesh apart and swung his body around. He was then thrown a couple of meters away with right arm barely attached but his concern was mainly on the boy. The tiger snarled at him before shifting its focus on the young boy.

###

Ryosuke kept his eyes closed just as he was told and laid quietly on the ground with a beating heart and gasping for breath for being in the eye of a hurricane. He could feel the loud vibration of the tiger’s, no, Daiki’s purr reverberated through his bones. Even the ground seemed to tremble every time he roared. He winced when he heard the Priest’s loud screams and did not dare to open his eyes to see what Daiki had done to him. Covering his ears with both hands, Ryosuke whimpered as tears ran down his temples unchecked and fear paralyzed him. He could only pray that his parents stayed away. He did not want them to get hurt too.

After what felt like hours, things gradually went quiet and Ryosuke could not hear any more screams. He still could feel the tiger’s warm breath on his face and jolted in surprise when something warm suddenly dripped on his forehead and cheeks. Ryosuke decided to take a chance and open one of his eyes to take a peek. Orange immediately filled his limited vision. As he opened both his eyes he realized that he was right under the tiger’s belly. He watched transfixed as the big cat awkwardly tilted its head trying to lick his left shoulder where blood was still gushing out from around the dagger that was stuck in its shoulder. 

“D...D…Dai-chan?” he whispered in disbelieve.

The tiger, Daiki, looked at him. It was a weird feeling to exchange a look with a tiger. There was an overwhelming feeling of fear, exhilarating and awe rolled into one that Ryosuke could not be able to describe with his seven years old vocabulary. The only thing that differentiated this tiger with the real one was probably its orange eyes. A twin of sharp vivid pools of orange with reddish gold gems in the middle that shone brightly from its furry socket.

The tiger grunted and Ryosuke quickly closed his eyes again and curled inward trying to make himself looked small and unthreatening. He gasped when something wet, warm and rough that felt like a giant cat’s tongue touched his face from chin to forehead licking it clean of tears and blood. Ryosuke who could not deal with the mixed feeling that raged inside his heart started to cry again. Then, the warm tongue was slowly replaced by fingers. Ryosuke re-opened his eyes for the second time to see Daiki crouched above him with the dagger still attached on his left shoulder. The older boy hissed in pain before shifting his weight to his right arm in order to keep his left hand off the ground and make his left arm the only one that was supporting the weight of his upper body. Seeing his friend visibly in pain made Ryosuke’s cry intensifies.

“Please, don’t cry Ryo-chan,” pleaded Daiki and Ryosuke sobbed harder. “No, please don’t be afraid of me.”

Ryosuke wanted to say that he was not afraid of him but he could not even get his throat to work properly to form any words. He could only whimper. Yet, the frustration he felt made the tears flowed even more heavily making his vision blurred.

“I’m sorry for scaring you, Ryo-chan. I guess this is not the right time for us to meet, ne?” he joked, stretching his lips and trying to smile but somehow fell flat because Daiki’s eyes looked sad. “Perhaps, next time would be better. I’ve been waiting for you this long what’s another hundred years or more as long as there’s a chance that I can see you again.”

Daiki wiped his tears but they still fell uncontrollably and Ryosuke’s heart seized. He did not understand half of what Daiki was saying but they sounded like goodbye and he could not accept it. His cry got louder and he grabbed Daiki’s wrist asking him to stay without saying anything.

“It’s okay, Ryo-chan.”

Ryosuke shook his head and screamed his frustration to the older boy, pleading him with his tears. He could not form words for his throat felt choked and his heart felt as if it was made of lead; heavy and burdened.

“Let go, Ryo-chan,” Daiki told him softly and he tried to pull his wrist off of Ryosuke’s tight grip.

“Naaaaaaaaaaa…” Ryosuke who was still sobbing held the older boy’s right wrist tightly with both hands as he scrambled to get up but Daiki jerked his hand back making the younger boy fell face down on the ground.

“LET GO!” Daiki yelled at him but Ryosuke just shrieked louder and held on to his wrist for dear life even when the older boy tried to walk away dragging him along on the ground. “Forgive me, Ryo-chan.”

In the height of his sorrow, Ryosuke felt Daiki’s palm covering his swollen eyes. It was as if cold water suddenly poured down his head releasing the tightness in his throat and calming the turmoil in his heart until his body felt lighter and eyes heavier.

Halfway to the dreamland he whispered, “Dai-chan ……don’t…… leave…” 

###

Thirteen years later …

In a small studio apartment the size of three tatamis near Waseda University, a twenty years old boy slept uneasily. The dim light of the full moon that shone through his room’s only window served as the only illumination in the otherwise dark room. The boy laid curled on his right side facing the window with his blanket wrapped around his feet and pillows fisted tightly in his hands. The moonlight hit his face and blond hair just in the right angle making it seemed as if it was glowing. Once in a while, he mumbled in his sleep and jerked around but never woke up. Sometimes, he let out a deep sigh that was followed by a frown. Then, he curled even tighter making his body into a ball and whimpered the words, “…don’t leave…”

To be continue......


	4. A Lone Leaf Drifting in the Air

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ryosuke drifted from class to class haunted by a feeling of longing from a dream that he couldn't even remember.

Ryosuke walked through the hall towards the administrative building listlessly. He had a really weird dream the night before but for the life of him he could not remember what the dream was about except for the fact that he felt absolutely tired upon waking up. 

He had been declared healthy and discharged from the hospital just two weeks after his admittance into the hospital, which baffled the doctors. They actually wanted to keep him longer for further examination and to make sure that he really was alright but that was the problem; there was nothing wrong with him. Considering the critical condition when he was first admitted, there should be at least some nerve impairs but he pulled through without a hitch in his breathing. The nurses even called it a miracle. Yet, he did not feel at all miraculous. Not when he couldn't even find a patient with the name Daiki in that hospital. 

What if Daiki lied to him? What if ‘Daiki’ wasn't his real name? What would he do then? The only clue he had about the soul who had saved him in that strange world would be lost. The reality of never seeing the only friend he had who had not betrayed him oddly saddened him. 

"Yamada Ryosuke, I think you already know that we are very disappointed with your grades for the past two semesters. We have warned you last year that you will lose your scholarship if you can't keep your grades up but due to recent ... circumstances... the University has decided to give you another chance to improve your grades and to keep it at least above the minimum requirements for this semester and the next," said his school counselor. 

Ryosuke could only nod quietly. He knew what she meant by 'certain circumstance'. The University was afraid that he'd commit suicide again if they really terminated his scholarship but he could only blame himself for this. He should not had let his personal problems affected his grades. The scholarship was his only chance at a better life. He had worked hard to get it. 

"I will work hard to get my grades up. I promise!" 

The counselor eyed him critically. Ryosuke knew he had a lot of work ahead of him but he was adamant in his resolution if not for himself then at least for Daiki's sake. His friend had risked his life staying back in that soul world to save him so that he could live. She sighed before writing something on a piece of paper and giving it to him. 

"This is doctor Watanabe's address. Unfortunately, her practice is not within the University ground but you still can find it close enough. You are required to attend her session once a week and she will report your progress to me. Make sure that you see her within this week. Is there any questions?" 

Ryosuke read the address on the small paper, recognizing the street name and building a few blocks away from his apartment building. "No, mam," he said shaking his head. 

"You're a good boy, Yamada Ryosuke, and you have great potentials. Please don't let it go to waste."

Again, Ryosuke could only nod.

"You can go. Please tell the next student to come in." 

Ryosuke bowed and left the room. He looked around the waiting room of the counselor office and found only two students there; a tall boy around his age and a long haired girl reading a book in the corner. He cleared his throat to get their attention.

"She said the next student should come in. I dunno which one of you..."

"It's me of course!" the tall boy jumped off his chair and bounded at him. Ryosuke took a step back feeling nervous in front of the other boy's enthusiasm. "Hi! I'm Nakajima Yuto. I'm new here, just got transferred." 

"O-kay, that's unnecessary information," Ryosuke mumbled under his breath but the other boy, Yuto did not seem to hear him because his wide smile did not diminish in the slightest. Ryosuke took a glance at the quiet girl who sat in the corner reading a book. When she did not reacted at all at Yuto's exclamation that he was next in line Ryosuke shrugged. "You're up!" Ryosuke tilted his head towards the counselor office and quickly walked away. 

He walked past the quietly reading girl in the corner on his way out and heard sobs coming from her but he paid it no mind. She was going to see the counselor soon, anyway, probably to talk about whatever problem she had.

###

He had been absent for quite a while, so he had a lot to catch up. He spent the rest of the morning visiting his professors' office asking about assignments and such. Thankfully his first class was not until after lunch break. When he got to class most of the student had already arrived waiting for the professor to start the lecture. Ryosuke hurried to the only empty chair near the back row next to the quiet girl that he saw this morning in the counselor office. He saw her still reading her book intently, dark hair framing her face. The professor called for their attention and Ryosuke shifted his focus on the lecture that was about to start.

Someone poked his arm when Ryosuke was bent forward writing on his notebook. He frowned and looked around to see the same tall boy from the counselor office this morning grinning at him from his seat on the other side of the quietly reading girl. He did not know that both of them were in his class. 

"Hi! We've met this morning, remember? I'm Nakajima Yuto!" whispered the tall boy, Yuto. 

Ryosuke gave him a small smile. Yuto looked about to say something else but the Professor called him out to ask him a question. Not wanting to get the same attention from their Professor, Ryosuke hurriedly continued his note taking. 

Yuto sought him out after class talking a mile a minute about how he was a new student and did not know anybody else. So, since they had already met this morning and even took the same class he took it as a sign that they were meant to be friends. 

"My next class is history. It's in the next building," Ryosuke said interrupting Yuto's rambling about his old school. 

"Oh! Let me check my schedule." The tall boy rummaged around his bag for a few seconds before showing his schedule to Ryosuke. "I have to go to this class next. Do you know where it is?" 

Ryosuke recognized the class as the one they had already passed by. "I think we've passed by it." 

"Eh? Really?"

"Just go back and turn right at that corner. It's on the first room on the right," told Ryosuke pointing to where they came from.

"Ah, thank you so much!"

"Sure, no problem. I gotta go now. Bye!" He did not wait for Yuto's reply and just walked away leaving Yuto standing awkwardly in the middle of the hallway. 

"Bye! And thank you!" called out the tall boy. 

Ryosuke did not know what else Yuto said since he had already turned the corner. He figured since Yuto was not a child, he would find his class easily. Ryosuke's own class would not start in another thirty minutes, yet there were still lots of subjects that he needed to catch up to. He was determined to improve his grade this semester in order to keep his scholarship which meant a lot of work and no time for socializing. Not that he was a social person to begin with but still he did not need any distraction. 

###

He did not think he would see Yuto again the next day because from what he could gather from seeing the other boy's schedule yesterday, Yuto took a different course than him. Yet, there he was, in the last of his classes for that day, waving his gangly arm from his seat at the back row beckoning Ryosuke to sit next to him. After confirming that the rest of the seat had already been taken, Ryosuke shrugged and went to the back row to sit next to Yuto. The same girl from yesterday was also there sitting on a seat in front of him. 

"We meet again!" said Yuto enthusiastically, a wide smile on his face. 

Ryosuke smiled politely. 

"What a coincidence! It seems that we take the same two classes this semester," commented Yuto. Then, he frowned. "Ermm... I still don't know your name though," said the tall boy smiling sheepishly at Ryosuke. 

Ryosuke remembered that they had not properly introduced themselves before parting their own separate ways yesterday. Since according to their schedule, they were probably going to see each other at least twice a week, it would not hurt to have a friend who took the same classes. 

"It's Yamada," said Ryosuke with a smile. 

Yuto beamed at him. "You can call me Yuto! I'm thinking maybe we can have a group study together for this class?"

"Uh, I still have a lot of things to do at the moment, lots of things to catch up to but I'll think about it in the next few weeks," Ryosuke said politely declining Yuto's offer. It was true, though. He spent most of his time not studying in class working on his due assignments in order to gain enough credits to pass the minimum requirements for his scholarship. 

"Oh, okay then. It's cool! We can still meet during class," said Yuto smiling brightly. If the boy was upset for being rejected, he sure did not show it. "Oh, I haven't said a proper thank you for helping me yesterday. So, thank you again for helping me yesterday! If you need any help just ask, though, I'm still new here. I dunno if I can help you much but..."

Ryosuke lifted a hand to stop Yuto's rambling and said, "It's okay. I get it. I'll ask if I need your help." Yet, he was sure that he probably would not ask Yuto for any help. He barely knew this new boy. 

"Right! Ah, that makes me feels better." 

Conversation trailed off after that, which was good because the lecturer had been looking in their direction for quite a while. Ryosuke did not want any trouble, so he was focusing his attention on the book in front of him and on the lecturer in front of the class. 

After class, Yuto tailed him to the library. Ryosuke who had not prepared any excuse was forced to let the taller boy follow him around. He told Yuto that he needed to do some research to complete his assignments that was due next week and the other boy instantly offered to help him. 

"Well, since you're offering you might as well help me," said Ryosuke a bit reluctantly. 

Yuto's eyes lit up. He probably felt excited that he was finally able to help and return the favor. "What books do you need?"

Ryosuke rattled off several tittles and the taller boy quickly bounded over to the book racks to look for them while Ryosuke opened his laptop to start working on his assignments. Yuto was proven to be a great help. Despite not understanding the subject that Ryosuke was studying, his enthusiasm in helping Ryosuke find books or newspaper articles related to the subject matter was highly appreciated. He was surprised that when eight o'clock rolled around he already got everything he needed to complete one of his assignments. 

"I think I've got everything I need to complete this assignment. I just need to finish it tonight and send my paper in tomorrow morning. Thank you for your help, Yuto. I really appreciate it." 

When there was no answer from the other boy, Ryosuke looked up from his laptop to find the taller boy slumped on the table in front of him, fast asleep. Ryosuke frowned and looked at his wristwatch. It was not even nine o'clock at night and was still fairly early for a University student to fall asleep like that. Then again, Yuto was a new transferred student. He was probably having a harder time adjusting than he let on and had exhausted himself during the day. 

Ryosuke used his pencil to poke Yuto's arm on the table to wake the poor boy up. "Yuto! Wake up!" he whispered. When the other boy refused to wake up, he tapped his head several times. "Yuto! Wake up!"

Yuto woke up with a start then looked up at him, frowning a bit before remembering where he was. "Oh no! Did I fell asleep? I'm so sorry, Yamada!"

Ryosuke waved away his apology. "It's okay. I'm done here anyway. I'm going to go home and finish my assignment at my apartment. I think you should too. You look tired," he told Yuto. He collected the books and piled them up in the middle of the table for the librarian to sort while waiting for his laptop to shut down. 

"Oh, you've finished? That's good. I'm glad that I'm able to help."

"Will you be okay, though? You look half asleep still."

"I'll be fine! Don't worry," said Yuto smiling, though not as bright as before. "My apartment is close by, anyway. The walk home will keep me awake." 

"Alright then, take care," Ryosuke said his farewell but stayed on the spot when he saw Yuto let out a big yawn before waving goodbye at him. He felt a bit guilty for making the other boy help him but Yuto seemed okay despite his sleepiness. So, he gathered his own things and went home. 

###

Ryosuke spent the next several days running about his classrooms and the library giving his utmost effort to finish all of his due assignments. He had not seen Yuto at all which was not at all surprising considering that they took different courses but he sighted him once in the hallway walking hurriedly to his class with a crumpled piece of paper in his hand which was probably his schedule. 

While he was happy to be busy, Ryosuke realized much to his annoyance that as the end of the week was fast approaching he had yet to visit the psychiatrist that the counselor had suggested. If he failed to do it within that week, he was sure that he would get reprimanded and the repercussion for that was too much of a hassle than a mere visit to a psychiatrist. It was only a weekly visit. He was sure he could do it. Decision affirmed he quickly made a call to the psychiatrist's office to make an appointment and was quickly scheduled on Saturday morning. 

It was on that fine Saturday morning that Ryosuke found himself sitting alone on a plastic chair outside of Dr. Watanabe's office with only a young late teen flirty receptionist as his company. She may have flirted with him but he was too nervous to acknowledge her effort. Few minutes later he was told to go in. The inside of her office was wide and spacious. There was a large table at one side of the room that served as her work desk complete with a sturdy looking chair behind the work desk. There was a huge couch at the other side of the room across from the work desk accompanied by an armchair next to it. 

"Good morning!" Ryosuke bowed. "I'm Yamada Ryosuke."

"Ah, yes, Yamada-kun! Welcome," greeted the doctor as she stood from her chair and walked closer to him extending her right hand for a handshake. She was a middle aged Caucasian woman with shoulder length blond hair, small stature and warm smile. "My name is Irene Watanabe. Please call me Irene, though." 

"Y-yes!"

Irene sensei led him to sit on the huge couch before taking a seat on the armchair. "You know, I usually don't accept appointments on Saturday but since you haven't visited me at all this week I decided to make an exception," said the Doctor. 

Ryosuke quickly bowed and apologized for causing her trouble. "I'm very sorry, sensei! I have to admit that I completely forgot about my supposed appointment with you. My week has been very busy as I work hard to catch up to my delay in study. Again, I'm very sorry for causing you too much trouble."

"No, no, it's okay. I hate to have to send a failure report to the University, anyway. Besides, I plan to do some work today so ..." she paused to smile warmly at him. "How're you doing this past week?"

She asked him about his study and his daily activity; whether he had difficulty adjusting to his schedule or if he found his due assignments too bothersome. Truth be told, Ryosuke had an apprehension this morning before meeting the psychiatrist. He did not think that he was ready to talk about what had happened in that swimming pool but to his immense relief she had not even ask about it. Instead, she asked about his recently finished assignment and what he planned to do for the rest of his other assignments. Irene sensei was attentive and a good listener and he enjoyed talking to her. 

"I think it's good that you keep yourself busy, Yamada-kun. But, do you sleep well?" she asked.

The question reminded him of the weird dreams that he always had whenever he closed his eyes. He could never recall what those dreams were about because as soon as he opened his eyes the details of the dreams went hazy until the only thing that left was a feeling of longing and abandonment which was not a new thing in his life. Being orphaned since a young age had made him accustomed to such feelings.

One of the reasons why he spent so much time working on his assignments was to avoid having those dreams. He would force himself to stay awake for as long as he could until he was too exhausted to dream. He had a suspicion that the dream was connected to his experience in that 'soul world' where he met Daiki because it started to occur after he returned from the hospital but he was not ready to divulge that information to the psychiatrist. He didn't want to add 'crazy' to his already bleak student record. 

"Well I ... I-I'm very busy right now. I have a lot of things to do that ..." he trailed off. He knew that the doctor could see through his excuse but thankfully she did not ask further. 

"I see," she said nodding thoughtfully. Her smile was still warm and welcoming, though. "I have a favor to ask you." 

The doctor stood and went to her work desk to make a call to the receptionist before walking back to sit at the armchair. Few seconds later, there was a knock on the door. Ryosuke thought that she had called the receptionist to come in but was immediately shocked when the door opened to reveal none other than his friend from the soul world, Daiki. 

"Good morning, sensei!" greeted the boy who looked like Daiki politely, head bowed and both hands clasped at the front. 

"Good morning, Arioka-kun!" greeted the doctor in return before turning to speak at Ryosuke. "This is Arioka Daiki. He is going to be your buddy from now on."

"Yoroshiku Onegaishimasu!" the boy called Arioka Daiki bowed at Ryosuke, a bright smile on his face. 

Ryosuke could only blink with his mouth agape, staring dumbly at the new comer. The Daiki look alike wore a grey oversized pants and white sweater with a little blue and green pattern. A backpack on his back and a pair of round glasses perched on his cute little nose. His black hair was long reaching near his shoulder at the back but framed his face gently at the front with asymmetry cut bangs that was almost reaching his eyes. He looked a lot like Daiki but also not like him. Did Daiki really wear glasses in real life? He wondered. To say that he was confused was an understatement of the century. 

"A... a buddy? But why... Daiki? I-I... don't understand ..." he finished lamely. 

"Allow me to explain then," Irene sensei said, starting her explanation. "In lieu of recent event, I suggested to the University to employ a buddy system for some students to help them to better cope with the stress. Both of you will write in a journal and we'll have a journal reading session here every Friday evening at eight."

"What should I write on this journal?" asked Ryosuke rather apprehensive. With all of his tasks and assignments he wasn't sure if he could keep a journal.

"Whatever you want," answered Irene sensei, smiling. She went to retrieve two plain looking black journals from her desk and gave them to both Ryosuke and the boy who looked like Daiki. "Now that the session is over, I'll see you both next Friday, okay?"

"We'll be sure to come to the appointment, sensei. Don't worry!" said Arioka Daiki. 

"Y-yes, of course," Ryosuke said.

Knowing that he was dismissed, Ryosuke quickly said his goodbye and left the doctor's office followed by Arioka Daiki. The receptionist flirted with him again but he was even more preoccupied this time than before that he ignored her. 

"Ah, Arioka-kun! You're done?" greeted the flirty receptionist at Arioka Daiki.

"Yes! But we'll have regular session every Friday evening at eight. Have the sensei told you?"

"Will the appointment be for the both of you?" she asked looking at Ryosuke and Arioka Daiki in turn, pencil poised on top of her notebook to take down their appointment time. 

"Yes!" 

"Oh, I understand! I will confirm it with sensei later."

"Thank you! Bye - bye!" Arioka Daiki and the receptionist waved at each other. Ryosuke was surprised that this boy was already familiar with her. How many times had he come to the doctor's office anyway? Did he also have the same problem as him? Many things popped up in his head as he walked following the Daiki look alike out of the building. 

Once they were outside and on the side street, the other boy suddenly grabbed Ryosuke's wrist and ran, pulling him along.

"Wait! Where are you taking me! Stop!" Ryosuke struggled to pull his hand from the other boy's grasp but his grip was too strong. 

The Daiki look alike pulled him into a narrow space between two ramen shop buildings and pushed Ryosuke’s back on the wall before taking off his round glasses, a wide smile on his face.

"Ryosuke, it's me!" 

To be continue .....

**Author's Note:**

> AN: My first attempt at writing HSJ fanfic. This is planned to be a multi chapter fic. All Hey!Say!Jump member will have their own part in the story.
> 
> Comments are love!


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